Their Last Goodbye
by nothingwrongwithdangerous
Summary: Dean and Cas are left alone in the woods while Bobby and Sam scope out an area for their plans.


8/27/12

"We're all clear on the plan, right?"

Three nodding heads answered Sam's question. There had been some rather unfortunate occurrences in Armistead, Mississippi, during the last two weeks. The evidence suggested a malevolent spirit, perhaps, but Castiel insisted it was an angel.

Sam acknowledged the group with a short nod of his own. "Let's go, then."

"Question," Dean voiced gruffly. "When we capture the guy, the guy, then what?  
We don't have the knife, and Cas can't pass through the flames to work his wizardry."

'Idjit," Bobby said under his breath. "We already – "

Cas put a hand up, silencing him. His coat swayed gently in the breeze. "I've got it covered," he said darkly. "He will not escape. Not this time."

"Well, okay then," Dean muttered, shifting his eyes away from Cas.

"Any more questions?" Sam asked with a note of finality.  
The group shook their heads.

"Good," he said, nodding. "Bobby and I will go around to the front. We'll scope out the place, and wait for the guy to arrive. Make sure you two are far back into the trees. If he sees you, it's over. Wait for our signal."

And with that, Dean and Cas were alone.

Dean nodded towards the trees behind them. "Come on."

Cas followed without a word.

They walked quickly but quietly for about five minutes. Long enough to have sufficient cover, and to still be able to hear Sam and Bobby's signal.

With a groan, Dean sat himself down against a tree. Still unspeaking, Cas leaned on the tree opposite of him.

"Well, aren't you Chatty Cathy today?" Dean chuckled.

Cas cocked his head. "My name is not Cathy, nor am I…chatty," he said, testing the last word on his tongue.

"It's – never mind," Dean sighed.

"Alright."

There was a pause. Another breeze rolled through, disturbing the leaves on the trees surrounding the pair.

"Look, Dean – " Cas started.

"Don't, Cas, just don't. It's fine, really," Dean interrupted.

"No, it's not," Cas argued stubbornly. "What I did, it was…not the best idea, I will admit. I thought it would work at the time. Though, clearly, I was wrong."

"Yeah, so you pissed off another of your winged friends. So what? It's over. Done."

"No, Dean, you don't understand." Castiel hesitated. "I…well, never mind, I suppose."

Dean pushed himself up from the roots of the tree in a burst of anger. "I don't understand? _Me?_ Come on Cas, you've known me long enough, don't give me that crap."

Refusing to meet Dean's eyes, Cas stared farther into the trees, speaking solemnly. "The angel I –'pissed off,' as you put it – it's this one, Dean. The one we're hunting. I'm the one who angered it."

"You _what?"_ Dean growled. "That thing _killed_ people, Cas, innocent people. Kids. And you're telling me you started it? Cas, _look at me, goddammit!"_

Frustrated, Dean reached out, grabbing the sleeve of Cas' coat. He jerked it, causing Cas to stumble sideways. He looked up, meeting Dean's eyes.

What Dean found there surprised him. Cas looked guilty, which was a good thing. But there was a certain fire in his eyes that Dean recognized. Something like stubborn determination, although he didn't know why.

"I know, Dean. I've realized. That's why I'm here. I _will _stop him, at all costs. You have my word," Cas swore, his voice dropping lower than usual on the last sentence.

"Yeah, okay," Dean swallowed. "As long as you know."

"I do."

"Okay."

Cas turned away again, walking a few steps in the direction that they had come from. He scanned the forest, his familiar face grave. Even in the darkness, Dean could see his eyes. They were strange eyes, eyes that had seen more than just a monster-filled world.

"Cas?" Dean asked quietly, staring in the complete opposite direction of his friend.

Castiel didn't answer. He simply acknowledged Dean with a slight turn of his head in Dean's direction. Dean didn't see it, of course, but he knew Cas was listening. Cas always listened.

"Whatever you're planning to do tonight when we catch this guy, it's not dangerous, is it? I mean, there are like, ten other things we need you to help us track down," Dean said, adding the last part hastily.

Cas didn't answer. He continued staring into the dark forest, maintaining his statue-like position.

"Cas?"

Finally Castiel turned. He waited for Dean to meet his eyes, and spoke in a clear, matter-of-fact tone.

"I do not know what will happen. I told you I would rid the world of this angel at all costs. What I'm attempting will be dangerous. I don't know the effect it will have on me. At the very least, I will be completely drained."

"Oh," Dean responded, still mulling over the answer. "And at the very worst?"

Cas turned away again.

"Well, that answers that, I guess," Dean muttered.

"Dean," Cas began. "I wanted to thank you. You, Sam, Bobby. You've all become my family, and – "

"Cut the speech, Cas. You're not dying tonight. No one's dying except the sick motherfucker that's terrorizing this town. Got it?"

Cas' lips quirked up slightly. "Got it," he answered.

"Good."

Dean walked back to his tree, and lowered himself down. He gestured for Cas to sit next to him.

"Looks like we've got some waiting to do," he stated drily.

For the next couple of minutes, things seemed almost normal. They laughed together again, something neither of them had imagined could happen in the last couple of months. Dean joked around as always, and Cas asked questions about what seemed like the simplest of things. Dean answered patiently, hiding grins, and lightly teasing Cas.

A point came where Dean was bent over, stifling laughter. Cas' head was thrown back, occasional laughs escaping his mouth.

"Shh," Dean shushed Cas, still stifling snickers of his own.

"But I don't understand the – "

"I _know_ you don't!" Dean pointed out, laughing harder.

Cas revealed one of his rare, real grins. Dean grinned back, and the night was quiet again. It seemed the most inappropriate of times, but it had to happen. A gunshot was heard in the distance.

Both Cas and Dean snapped to attention when the gun went off. Cas was on his feet in what seemed like no time at all, walking a few steps in the direction of the noise. Dean stumbled up, falling behind Cas.

"The signal," Dean pointed out unnecessarily.

"It's time," Castiel confirmed.

Cas turned to Dean, stepping closer to him. Both of their faces had suddenly turned grim. A shock struck Dean as he realized this could be the last time he saw Cas – alive, at least. But no, he'd already promised Cas that nobody was dying tonight. It wasn't like Dean could control the outcome, though. It was up to Cas.

Despite already being about only a couple feet apart, Dean stepped closer to the angel.

"It's time to do this thing, Cas. Be careful, you hear?" Dean said, his voice a careful whisper. "I don't want to have to be cleaning blood off of you tonight."

Cas said nothing at first, simply staring at Dean with a torn expression. Dean had seen Cas wear this face before, usually when he thought no one was looking. But as a hunter constantly on the lookout, Dean always saw. As a friend, Dean saw.  
They stared at each other in silence. The clock was ticking, but neither of them made a move to leave. Dean vaguely remembered once having to tell Cas to respect his personal space. But here, now, in the trees with him, Dean couldn't bring himself to mind.

"Dean," Cas murmured, his eyes dropping down.

"Yeah, I know. We should really get – "

Dean jumped slightly as he was cut off by Cas' lips suddenly on his own. He became completely frozen, his mind shutting down. He made no move to push Cas away, surprise still fresh in his veins. He could feel his head go numb as he tried to push back the haze of shock.

In less than two seconds, Cas had pulled away. He looked just as surprised as Dean felt. Dean stared at him, mouth agape, trying to form words but not succeeding. Cas' eyes were wide. You could see him searching for an explanation, or anything that involved using words.

"I'm sorry," Cas croaked out. "I didn't mean to – I just – I really didn't – "

Dean pressed his mouth to Cas', cutting off his apology. He had caught Cas completely off guard for once. Instead of pushing Dean away, Cas froze, just as Dean had. He attempted to trust Dean, and hoping it wasn't a completely foolish thing to do.

Dean deepened the kiss, raising a hand to Cas' neck and pulling him closer. Cas flinched marginally as more contact was made, but he didn't bother to stop it. Finally Dean pulled away, dropping his hand from Cas' neck and leaving him frozen with surprise in the same spot he'd been in for the last five minutes.

Dean swallowed, backing away from motionless angel. Neither of them tried to speak, although their eyes eventually met. Dean offered Cas a weak smile, filled with exhaustion more than anything else. Without a word, Dean turned away, leaving Cas standing dazedly behind him.

2:59am


End file.
